BACKBONE ENSEMBLE

Backbone Ensemble IS FOCUSED ON EXTENDING the PERFORMANCE MAKING SKILLS, AND ENSEMBLE-BASED PRACTICE of young artists aged 18 - 30.

Backbone Ensemble is for artists from any background or discipline who want to train, collaborate and develop their performance making practice.

Led by Fen Carter and Stephen Quinn, this immersive 34-week program features skill-building workshops, exclusive masterclasses, a dedicated devising period, and a performance outcome at Backbone Festival 2025.

This is an opportunity to deep-dive into your performance skills, to learn about collaborative practice, and develop networks.

This is an audition-based process. Check out the full details below!

Apply Now

*KEY INFO*

**WHERE:** Seven Hills Hub - 28 Tallowwood Street, Seven Hills
**WHEN:** Tuesday 18th March - Tuesday 28th October
6:00pm - 9:00pm
**COST:** $350.00
**WHO:** Artists aged 18 - 30 years
**FACILITATORS:** Fen Carter & Stephen Quinn will lead the ensemble.
With guest facilitators including: Phluxus2 Dance Collective, Tessa Rixon, Alex MacDonald, Lucas Stibbard + more to be announced!
**HOW TO APPLY**: You can apply via online form OR by submitting a short 5-10 minute video that responds to all the questions in the EOI form to: info@backbone.org.au.

**MORE DETAILS BELOW**

**Dearly Devoured**, Backbone Ensemble 2024. *(Image by Georgia Haupt.)*

THE FULL DETAILS

WHERE: Seven Hills Hub - 28 Tallowwood Street, Seven Hills 4170

There is free parking on site and numerous nearby bus stops (Agnew Rd. & Kensington Ave.). The closest train station is Morningside Station (15 minute walk)

WHEN: Once a week on Tuesday’s from March 18th - October 28th.

There will be additional times scheduled around the Backbone Festival performance outcome, in consultation with the ensemble. Backbone Festival will run during the weekends from October 10th - October 25th 2025.

WHO: Backbone Ensemble is open to artists aged 18 - 30 across any art form/discipline.

COST: The cost of participation in Backbone Ensemble is $350.

Payment plans, scholarships and half scholarships are available. However please note that by accepting a place in the ensemble, you are committing to the full program and as such full payment is expected regardless of attendance.

Applications Open: Tuesday 4th February 2025

Applications Close: 5:00pm on Wednesday 26th February 2025

Unless we receive an overwhelming number of applications, all applicants will be invited to audition and the final participants will be selected from a group audition.

To audition for Backbone Ensemble please follow these steps:

STEP ONE complete the registration form.
STEP TWO attend the audition session on Tuesday 4th March, approx. 6:00pm - 8:00pm.
STEP THREE outcomes will be sent to everyone by Tuesday 11th March 2025.

What to prepare for your audition:

You will need to prepare two small pieces.

1. A short monologue from a writer other than yourself of no more than 2 minutes.

2. Something else you want to share - a talent, a skill, a trick. It can be in any form and from any artistic discipline. In the past we’ve heard poems, seen showreels and scenes from short films, looked at folios of artwork, seen juggling, bar flair, dance, limericks, tried food they have cooked and occasionally just watched another contrasting monologue - this is about sharing part of yourself and letting us get an idea of what you are about. Again the time limit is two minutes.

The audition sessions will also involve group activities and a short information session and will run for approximately two hours (depending on participant numbers).

THE FACILITATORS

Fen Carter

Fen Carter is a queer writer, performer and facilitator from Meanjin who has been creating work since 2017. After leaving the scene during the COVID lockdowns, they have come back with a passion for performance, creation and sharing the love of it. They are currently the co-facilitator for the Backbone Youth Arts revived Ensemble program. They have written for Playlab’s Incubator, ATYP’s National Studio, and La Boite's Assembly, and have had work produced through Backbone Festival and Observatory Theatre. You probably know them for the Australian gothic work The Cane or the semi-autobiographical lecture-comedy An Asexual's Guide to Love and Sex.

Stephen Quinn

Stephen Quinn is a maker of many things. By taking a highly visual approach, Quinn is known for creating vibrant and visceral works of theatre, installation & performance. From 2013 to 2017 Quinn was an associate artist of The Danger Ensemble, devising, performing and associate directing across their works. As an associate artist, Quinn trained extensively in the Suzuki Method of Acting Training, devoured knowledge about contemporary theatre, and experimented with the symbiotic relationship between text & design. He has also performed for numerous independent directors including: Nick Cave - Heard (GOMA 2016); Jo Loth - Julius Caesar (Jo Loth Productions 2016 & 2017); and Younes Bachir - BaBeL (Backbone Festival: How Soon Is Now 2018).

Quinn's self created performative works includes: Yellow (Brisbane Emerging Arts Festival 2013 & 2High Festival 2015); Icarus (Anywhere Theatre Festival 2015); Sisyphus (2High Festival 2016); and The Gods are Bored (Backbone Festival: How Soon is Now 2018). In recent years, Quinn has evolved his work with installations into set & costume design. In 2020 he designed a new musical by Sampson Smith & Jermey Neale, Absolute Objectivity; in 2021 he set dressed Chelsea McGuffin & Co's outdoor circus premier, Hysteria; and in 2022 he designed the set for Sarah Stafford’s Matilda Award Nominated show, Again, You Have Trusted Me.

GUEST FACILITATORS

Phluxus2 Dance Collective

A driving force in dance making, performance and choreographic practice.

Phluxus2 Dance Collective was founded in 2006 to enable opportunities to create and perform new contemporary dance work that is, and for, a time and place. Today, the collective of over 100 artists has a strong vision to create boundary bashing and innovation driven work for performance, touring and events activation. The collective champions innovation through experimentation, seeking the unknown and advocating for rigorous choreographic practice.

Phluxus2 proudly creates cutting-edge dance work for the stage, events, ceremonies and studios, whilst also delivering exceptional education, community and sector engagement initiatives.

Tessa Rixon

Tessa Rixon is a designer and educator in performance design, technology, and sustainability. As a Senior Lecturer in the School of Creative Practice at Queensland University of Technology, Tessa has extensive experience in performance design training, and has presented her research into sustainable approaches to performance design at numerous international events.

Alex Macdonald

Alex Macdonald is a Meanjin based dramaturg with more than 10 years experience working alongside both established and emerging artists, writers, and creative teams. While Alex's main interest rests with new work play development, it also has experience with installation pieces, immersive experiences, and site-specific works.

Alex presents a practical and reflexive approach to dramaturgical practice, with a key focus on artistic intention, continuous development, and experimentation.

Lucas Stibbard

LUCAS STIBBARD makes theatre and performance work as a performer, director, writer, dramaturg, designer, producer and teaching artist. His work with The Escapists, a multi-disciplinary collective he co-founded, has included co-writing, co-directing, producing and performing in the critically acclaimed, multi-award winning ‘boy girl wall’ (Helpmann Award nomination - best actor) which is currently part of the QLD Senior Drama Syllabus and has been part of the same in Victoria. He has taught at QUT, USQ, Griffith and NIDA Open and delivered thousands of in-school workshops, incursions and residencies as a freelance arts worker, the ex-senior producer for youth and education at Backbone Youth Arts and for QT, Shake & Stir and La Boite. He is currently a producer for Common People Dance Project and a Community Development Officer for Young People with local government. As an actor Lucas has toured nationally and internationally and worked for QT, La Boite, MTC, STCSA, Windmill, Punchdrunk/Imaginary and Bell Shakespeare - his practice places emphasis on Imagination, Theatricality, Community, Collaborativity, Creativity and The Joy of Play.